Park City-based hip-hop artist A-Rodge is making a name for himself

Park City-based hip-hop artist A-Rodge, known to his family as Alex Rogers, performs his own brand of positive music during a recent show. The artist's debut album, "A Change of Pace,' is available on iTunes and Amazon.com. (Photo by Martin Metcalf)

Alex Rogers graduated from Park City High School in 2009 and from the University of Utah, in economics and intrapersonal communications in 2013.

He is also known as hip-hop artist A-Rodge and has performed at Kilby Court, the Canyon Inn and the Shred Shed in Salt Lake City.

The rapper is also booked to perform at the Park City Kimball Arts Festival and the Park Silly Sunday Market in August.

Over the past couple of years, Rogers has made a name for himself by keeping his music clean and accessible for all ages, without losing his artistic integrity.

"Most of my songs have upbeat rhythms and tempos," Rogers said during an interview with The Park Record. "Even my more serious songs are about some of the struggles I have all contain an optimistic spin."

All of that came from Rogers’s desire to be honest.

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"A good-quality product, especially in music, is real and true," he said. "You can tell when someone is faking something or forcing a sentiment. So I try to stay true to myself."

Granted, Rogers had a fairly positive upbringing and has supportive parents, but everyone goes through hard times, no matter the upbringing, he said.

"My lyrics are all about that," he said. "The reason they are clean is because I don’t feel the need to curse to convey my message. I am in a place where I am happy, content and confident about myself as a person. And that comes across in my music."

Rogers’s positive vibes can be heard on his debut album, "A Change of Pace," which was released a few months ago by TMG Records.

"Everything happened very quickly," he said. "The first hip-hop song I ever made was in August of 2012, and by following June, I produced my first beat and started recording, producing, mixing and mastering my songs."

"A Change of Pace" emerged through those sessions.

"I submitted my music to the label and they wanted me to put an album together," Rogers said. "So I did it in my home studio."

"A Change of Pace" is also the name of Rogers’ first music video that can be seen on YouTube.

He worked with Eric Escobar from High Point Media Group.

"We met twice for preproduction and I showed him the song, which was produced by my friend Colton Schweitzer, and features vocalist Casey Laing," Rogers said. "We planned how we were going to tell a story."

The shoot, which took place in Salt Lake City, lasted only two days.

"We knew exactly what we needed," the rapper said.

Rogers began his foray into music while playing trumpet and trombone in the Park City High School’s music program.

"I started playing drums when I was 15 and was into metal bands," he said. "When I got to college, the drums became a pain to move around and roommates didn’t like them because they were so loud."

So Rogers took a break from performing, and slowly got into production.

"I started listening to hip-hop and began creating my own beats as a musical outlet," he said. "I approached it almost backwards, because I started making hip-hop and before I started listening to it."

Rogers cited the wordplay of Childish Gambino and the storytelling of Atmosphere.

His mantra is to make music that will appeal to a wide range of people.

"I want the upbeat and pleasurable sounds for the casual listener, while incorporating the technical flow of wordplay and artistry for the more-avid listener," he said.

So far, things have worked for him.

"I’ve had little five-year-old kids tell me that I rap really well, and adults and even elderly men and women tell me that my music is cool," he said. "I like breaking down the barrier of rap being either mainstream pop or die-hard raw and underground."

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He worked with Eric Escobar from High Point Media Group.

"We met twice for preproduction and I showed him the song, which was produced by my friend Colton Schweitzer, and features vocalist Casey Laing," Rogers said. "We planned how we were going to tell a story."

The shoot, which took place in Salt Lake City, lasted only two days.

"We knew exactly what we needed," the rapper said.

Rogers began his foray into music while playing trumpet and trombone in the Park City High School’s music program.

"I started playing drums when I was 15 and was into metal bands," he said. "When I got to college, the drums became a pain to move around and roommates didn’t like them because they were so loud."

So Rogers took a break from performing, and slowly got into production.

"I started listening to hip-hop and began creating my own beats as a musical outlet," he said. "I approached it almost backwards, because I started making hip-hop and before I started listening to it."

Rogers cited the wordplay of Childish Gambino and the storytelling of Atmosphere.

His mantra is to make music that will appeal to a wide range of people.

"I want the upbeat and pleasurable sounds for the casual listener, while incorporating the technical flow of wordplay and artistry for the more-avid listener," he said.

So far, things have worked for him.

"I’ve had little five-year-old kids tell me that I rap really well, and adults and even elderly men and women tell me that my music is cool," he said. "I like breaking down the barrier of rap being either mainstream pop or die-hard raw and underground."